Young Living

Over the past several months, I have really tried to make some changes to my personal health and overall wellness. When we moved and I started working 20-30 hours a week, I stopped exercising as regularly as I had before, and my eating habits revolved around what was quick, easy, and gave me some quick energy.

Well, 2016 became the year to change that! There have been a couple of big changes I’ve made in my lifestyle, so I wanted to blog about some of the products, habits, and resources that are helping me live a much healthier, trimmer, more active life!

Last fall I became a Young Living Essential Oil Distributor. I have several friends who are involved in the business and use their products. They shared some of the products with me, and it wasn’t long before I decided that it was a worthwhile investment for me!

Essential oils are created primarily through steam distillation of an herb, leaf, bark or other plant material. They are quite concentrated and potent; only a few drops are needed at a time. I was drawn to essential oils because they are a natural remedy for many common ailments, and I wanted to get away from constantly reaching for a pill when I was sore, achey, had an upset stomach, etc. I work in a pharmacy, and obviously have nothing against traditional medicine! But for me personally, I would rather use something all natural with fewer side effects than traditional drugs.

I chose Young Living oils mostly because the people that introduced me to essential oils recommended them, but as I’ve studied more I have become very confident in the purity and safely of YL oils. While I prefer to use my oils topically, the YL oils are 100% safe to ingest or use in cooking as well.

When I became a distributor, I received a kit of essential oils. I had nearly a dozen to learn about and experiment with! I’ll give you a quick rundown of some of my favorite oils and what I use them for:

Copaiba—This essential oil comes from a resin that is found in a tree from Brazil, and it is a very powerful anti-inflammatory! I had no idea what to do with this oil at first. Right after I received my kit, I had an accident involving a hammock hook breaking and a rock underneath my tailbone. Yeah, it was painful. :-| I knew I would have a humongous bruise, and so I texted one of my Young Living friends and asked her what to use. She recommended this oil. I applied it at night before bed, and I never developed a bruise and barely had any pain after the first day.

Lavender—This is a very calming and relaxing essential oil. While it has many different uses, the way I use it the most is as a sleep aid. If I’m having trouble falling asleep or just want to make sure that I get a really restful night’s sleep after a stressful day, I will apply a couple of drops to my lower spine before going to bed. There is no tossing and turning on the nights that I use it!

Stress Away Blend—This roll-on oil from Young Living is a mixture of Copaiba, Lime, Cedarwood, Vanilla, Ocotea, and Lavender oils. I typically use this on my neck and my temples when I have a headache or *sorry guys* when it’s that time of month and I’m just not feeling good overall. To me, this blend smells kind of like Bubble Gum. ;-P It definitely helps me feel more relaxed!

Thieves—I have nearly used up my first bottle of this! The name of this blend originates from a story of thieves who were caught during the days of the Plague. Somehow they were not becoming ill and dying even though they were stealing things from homes where people had died. Supposedly they had discovered a blend of herbs that kept them from getting sick! The Thieves blend from YL includes Clove, Lemon, Cinnamon Bark, Eucalyptus Radiata, and Rosemary. It is a great anti-viral, antibacterial, and antiseptic oil. Working in the pharmacy, I used this almost daily at the beginning of my job as I was getting sick and needing to build up immunity. I apply a few drops to the soles of my feet (one of the most absorbent parts of your body) and it definitely cuts down on the length of time that I’m sick. If I were to actually use it daily, I might get sick even less frequently!

Peppermint—This is definitely my all-time favorite oil so far! This is the only bottle of oil that I’ve completely used up because I use it so often! The primary way I use this oil is for digestive upset or cramps. A drop or two of oil applied just above my belly button soothes my stomach in a very short amount of time.

Those are just a few of my favorite essential oils! If you’re ever interested in finding out more about essential oils, don’t hesitate to ask me! I’d love to share more with you, and even send you some sample oils. :-) And in my next post, I’ll share a little bit more about some of the healthy lifestyle changes I’ve been making, so stay tuned!